Vice or virtue

         

Vice or virtue

         Pride. A concept that creates a fascinating dilemma. I love Greek mythology. It's wonderful, the Greeks were astoundingly intelligent, one look at their architecture will tell you that. But what I love most is the way that every other myth revolves around hubris, hubris is excessive pride or over confidence. Icarus, overtaken by the experience of flight, flew too close to the sun and fell. Narcissus, enamored by his own reflection, perished staring at himself. The Greeks cautions us to never be overconfident, for it will result in overestimation and lead to destruction.
         And yet, I know pride is also having self worth. Believing that you are enough to achieve wild goals. Pride has motivated me into taking opportunities outside my comfort zone. This kind of Pride does not harm unless it swells to hubris.
         I believe in the lessons taught by the Greeks, there's real substance there, pride can harm. But, on the other hand, where would I be without it? Without an ounce of pride I fear that I would lose my sense of self-importance and my appreciation for achievement. But I also fear the destructive nature of hubris. I wish to come to a conclusion on this dilemma by examining it using the Rotary 4 way test.
         So first of all, is it true that people need a sense of pride? Jessica Tracy and Richard Robins in 2004 performed 7 different studies in attempts to prove that pride is multifaceted: they divided pride into two categories: authentic and hubristic. Authentic pride stems from accomplishments received by controllable components such as skill. While hubristic pride stems from uncontrollable components such as luck, resulting in an idea of superiority, that they are inherently a victor. Yet, authentic pride is what builds self worth on true accomplishments. knowledge that if you try, you can. Being proud of your accomplishments leads to a higher likelihood of striving for even greater success.
         I have experienced both of these facets of pride myself, hubris in expecting an A on a test only to be presented with a C, and authenticity in studying for my next one, and actually getting an A.
         And so, in part, it's true. Pride is more than narcissism, it's a reflection of my achievements. It pushes me into action, into writing for just a moment longer, into painting with just a little more vigor, into entering a speech contest. But I also fear crossing that line where motivating pride could turn to hubris. The dual facets of Pride are true, they reflect our character.
         Secondly, Is having pride fair to all concerned? This year I'm taking an art class. Whenever I'd have my sketchbook or I'd doodle on a paper I'm used to people seeing it and complimenting me. On my first couple of days in art, one distinct struggle I had to face was, my art teacher never complimented me. It was, debilitating. In a way, my pride in my art led me to expect compliments from anyone who saw my drawings, even from real artists. I have come to realize that, my art teacher doesn't think I'm a poor artist, just that, complimenting me won't help me improve. And, in hindsight I agree. When my pride in my work led me to expect praise, like it was owed to me, it was hubris.
         In that way, pride is not fair. It's not fair to me, because it made me feel worse over nothing, she didn't slander me, and yet it felt that way. But I also was not owed praise. My hubris created a situation that was not fair to me or to my teacher.
         But not having pride is equally unfair. If I had doubted my abilities in my art, I might've quit painting. When insecurity corrupts, we pass up opportunities for lack of belief in our abilities, And that's not fair. But when I have pride to drive me, along with the humility to accept criticism from my art teacher, that balance, restores fairness to all concerned.
         Third, will it build goodwill and better friendships? This question makes me think of a quote by my favorite author, Mitch Albom, "When you're rotten about yourself, you become rotten to everybody else, even those you love,"
         Security is the base of every relationship. When people are insecure it makes them anxious to prove themself, putting them in competition with their friends. This results in some of the world's most bitter rivalries. I lost a friendship over this, I had an insecure friend who would take my achievements and struggles as challenges, eventually I stopped talking about my woes, then I stopped talking at all. I wish I had been mature enough at the time to see that my friend's hubris was motivated by insecurity.
         From this experience I learned that having a healthy amount of self worth allows individuals to understand what they need, and respect themselves enough to ask for it. Self-worth is built from genuine pride, our achievements and past capabilities fuel our belief in ourselves. And having that self worth will result in a positive effect on all of our relationships.
         Pride builds friendships, for it removes insecurity within me, and improves me first. So I have the confidence to build goodwill with others.
         Lastly, is having pride beneficial to all concerned? Nothing gets done by insecure people. Think of all the innovators in the world: Galileo, Bill Gates, the Wright brothers. But one id I would like to speak on is Thomas Edison, controversial inventor and businessman. Edison was a confident and committed man, he worked long hours and believed he would get past any issue he was faced with. He was proud. And yet, he's one of the reasons for electricity that powers cities today.
         Would Edison have been such an inspiration if he wasn't the confident man he was? I'd argue no. His pride in his work, and the confidence in result is what made him such a prominent figure. If he didnt believe in himself, no one else would.
         Maybe that is too easy of an example. So consider Mother Teresa, a woman famous for her humility. But she was driven by an unwavering faith and confidence that she was doing the right thing. Her humility made her good, but her pride made her courageous. Without pride there is cowardice, that cowardice is what puts out the flame of inspiration, of idea. Pride builds confidence, as well as overconfidence. And overconfidence can lead to hubris, but a little overconfidence is better than being too scared to take the first step. Pride is beneficial to all, because it is the basis for courage and innovation.
         A balanced approach to pride passes the 4 way test. All of us should build pride in ourselves to drive us without letting it tip into hubris.
         To end, I would like to go back to one of my favorite myths that tells the story about the constellation called "Orion."
         Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, once was challenged by her brother, Apollo, the god of music, to shoot at an object way in the distance. Her skill was unmatched. He proclaimed that she couldn't hit it if she tried. And so she shot the target. And when her target's body washed up on shore, she wept. For, it was her lover's body, the hunter Orion. Pride fueled her skill, but her hubris led to destruction. The constellation...is now a nightly reminder of the need for a balanced understanding of pride.
         Thank you.